That Usain Bolt, eh? Fastest human in the world, 100m in 9.58 seconds, and the first man ever to hold 100m and 200m records at the same time. This guy’s legs must move faster than a hummingbird’s wings, right?
Wrong. New research shows that “Lightning Bolt” Usain’s leg speed is actually not the determining factor in his unique speed. It’s all to do with force applied, and pressure, and other cool science stuff.
So cheer up, fatty: you could be the first human to break the 9.5 second 100m.*
*No, you couldn’t.
Usain Bolt is the current World and Olympic champion. His accomplishments are legendary. Surely, as the world’s fastest human, his legs must be moving in a blurred whirl of speedy rotation? Surely, as he runs, the only sound to be heard is a faint “meep meep” as he vanishes into the distance?
Wrong: scientists have just announced data showing that leg speed is not a determining factor in Bolt’s uncanny running ability.It turns out that the difference between mortals and Usain Bolt is a combination of pressure moving through the foot as it lands on the ground, and the amount of time that foot spends on the ground. Larger and less, respectively, provide the optimal speed.
Boffin Peter Weyand of the Southern Methodist University describes his findings:
The amount of time to pick up a leg and put it down is very similar. It surprised us when we first figured it out.
Those of us who fancy ourselves as okay runners tend to have a foot on the ground for 0.12 seconds, and are able to push 500lbs of force through it. Olympians like Usain Bolt, however, leave their foot static for just 0.08 seconds, and push a bone-stressing 1,000lbs of force through it. This allows Jamaican Bolt to cover 100m in just 41 strides; the average for his Olympic competitors is 44.
So, if you want to improve your sprinting, remember this: just kiss the ground with your foot, but while it’s there make sure you are pushing through with everything you have.
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They have the cheek to call this RESEARCH! This stuff is taught as part of basic school physics, ‘having the foot on the ground for shorter time’ means taking it off the ground faster and therefore spending less time on every “stop”, ‘pressure moving through the foot’ means the stronger you push the ground back the bigger impulse (the product of the average value of a force by the time during which it acts) you get.
I assume you remember the Third law of classical mechanics: The mutual forces of action and reaction between two bodies are equal, opposite and collinear.
Ultimately it depends on the muscles resilience — that’s what makes the difference, which allows you a longer stride. Longer stride + shorter stops = faster. Any dunce knows that. Cheetahs know that.
Actually, if Bolt could increase ‘the pressure moving through his foot’, he’d cover 100 m in one jump.
And don’t forget to bring doping into the equation, you don’t believe any sportsmen nowadays can perform at even average level without the help of any substance, do you?
These swindlers get paid with the taxpayers’ money, that’s how we tighten our collective belt in times of crisis. Fine!
What’s next? A delve into the the determining factors in the speed of a projected spittle?